‘’ The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it”.
200 years ago, οn May 5th1818, in the city of Trier of Prussia, the great revolutionary Karl Marx was born. Marx had a decisive contribution to the foundation of the revolutionary worldview of the working class as well to the economic, political and philosophical thought of humanity. ...

The European Communist Initiative, which rallies 29 communist and workers' parties in its ranks, highlights the major issue of education which concerns school and university students, parents and teachers, the peoples as a whole. Education should be a right, not a privilege-commodity for the few.

The Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative, with the participation of 29 Communist and Workers' Parties from all over Europe, sends warm militant greetings to the struggling small and medium farmers in Greece, who are to be found in this period in the roadblocks of struggle against the political line of the EU and the SYRIZA-ANEL

We express our solidarity with the Bulgarian communists, we demand the immediate repeal of the anticommunist law and every other kind of persecution or ban against the communists and their activity, their ideology and their symbols. Anti-communism shall not pass.

The Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative expresses its warmest and sincere condolences with the CC of the CP of Cuba and the Cuban people regarding the death of their historical leader, the head of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

99 years ago, 7 November 1917, the Great October Socialist Revolution triumphed. We honor the memory of the Paris Commune. We honor and we are inspired by Marx, Engels, Lenin who guided the workers´ struggle for the socialist future documenting scientifically how to reach that goal. What does the Great October mean for us, living in the 21st century?

The Great Patriotic war of the Soviet people against the Nazi Germany, which was promoted as being invincible at the time, and its allies in Europe ended with the crushing and unconditional surrender of fascism. The 9th of May is the day that signals the end of the 2nd World War in Europe. The Red Army, by raising the red flag with the hammer and sickle over the Reichstag, completed a great people’s victory against fascism.

We are honoring the struggles of the working class and the workers of the world.
As Communist Parties, we consider this day not as a holiday, not as a simple annual event, but as an international day of proletarian solidarity and struggle of the working class and all workers.
As communist women and men, we are proud of our ideology, our values and ideals, our struggle for social progress, for the rights of peoples, for the liberation of humanity and its emancipation from the yoke of capitalism.

The European Communist Initiative sends warm militant greetings on International Women’s Day to all the women workers, unemployed, dismissed workers, pensioners, self-employed, farmers, young women especially from the poor popular strata who are studying and are at the same time working in many instances, the women with disabilities and the mothers of children with disabilities. It particularly expresses its full solidarity with the sorely tested women refugees and immigrants and with all the refugee mothers.

We have no illusions, unemployment is inherent to the capitalist system that causes all these phenomena, it exploits the working class in order to increase the profitability of the monopolies and to perpetuate its operation.

An education system reflects the dominant ideology of the society in which it is based. It reflects the values of the dominant class. Across Europe the class based education system remains a tool in the maintenance of an exploitative society while the parameters of the education system are dictated by the monopolies which have the power in their hands.

The Communist and Workers' Parties that are part of the European Communist Initiative express their firm rejection of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Treaty (TTIP), which is currently under negotiation between the EU and the USA.

...The environment will be endangered as long as the private ownership of the means of production exists. The conscious planned and balanced impact of man on nature can only exist in a society that is based on the social ownership of all the natural resources and the means for their utilization, on central planning, on production with social prosperity as its criterion...

In face of the local and regional elections to be held in Spain in May 24th, the INITIATIVE OF EUROPEAN COMMUNIST AND WORKERS' PARTIES would like to express its full support to the CP of the Peoples of Spain, who is participating in more than 40 cities and towns and 10 regions under the slogan: “The voice of the working class”.

The Secretariat of the European COMMUNIST INITIATIVE met on May 8 in Athens, at the HQ of the CC of the KKE in Perissos. The KKE, CP - Italy, CP of the Peoples of Spain, Socialist Party of Latvia, the Hungarian Workers’ Party, the CP of Slovakia, the CP of Sweden, the CP Turkey and the Union of Revolutionary Communists of France participated in the meeting.

The INITIATIVE of the Communist and Workers’ Parties in Europe, extends its solidarity and support to the Communist Party, Turkey in the parliamentary elections in Turkey to be held on 7th June 2015. The Secretariat of the INITIATIVE recognises that the Communist Party carries out an election campaign and waves the flag of socialism in difficult circumstances.

70 years ago at the daybreak of the 9th of May 1945, the seemingly invincible Germany unconditionally surrendered. The Red Army crushed fascism and raised the red flag with the hammer and sickle high over Berlin...

The first of May –the Day of the working class, is a day to remember and honour the workers who gave their lives for the rights of the working class. It symbolizes its struggle to liberate itself from wage slavery and to abolish the exploitation of man by man, for socialism-communism.

The EU Summit on 18/19 of December 2014 and its decisions constitute an escalation of the offensive of the EU, governments and monopolies against the working class and the poor popular strata in all the EU member-states.

The great October Socialist Revolution in Russia, 1917, is a historical milestone of the working class’ struggle to overthrow the power of the capitalists, to construct socialism and to abolish the exploitation of man by man. It was a decisive break with the old world order and laid the basis for the political, social and economic liberation of humanity.

The Plenum of the parties that take part in the "INITIATIVE of Communist and Workers' Parties to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity" was held in Brussels on the 3rd of October.
Below you can find the text of G. Marinos' report, on behalf of the Secretariat of the "Initiative", while soon we will publish the closing remarks of the meeting.

On the 27/1/2014 the meeting of the 9 member Secretariat of the “INITIATIVE of Communist and Workers’ Parties to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity” took place in Brussels.

The “INITIATIVE of communist and workers’ parties in order to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity”, which was founded in October of 2013 by 29 communist and workers’ party, approved the following DECLARATION which it addresses to the working class, the peoples of Europe and also calls on those communist and workers’ parties of Europe that do not yet participate for the present in the “INITIATIVE”, but can agree with our call and our assessments, to co-sign it, facilitating our common struggle, the unity of our activity, against the anti-people policies and the imperialist unions of the EU and NATO.

The EU Summit of December 19th-20th deepens the warmongering policies of the European Union and increases parasitic military expenditure.
The parties that participate in the "INITIATIVE of communist and workers’ parties in order to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity” consider that the decisions which are being adopted at the European Summit on the 19/12/2013 confirm the imperialist and militaristic character of the European Union and advance the strengthening of the aggressive and interventionist military capabilities of the European Union and its member States.

The INITIATIVE of Communist and Workers’ Parties of Europe was founded

On the 1st of October 2013 in a meeting room of the EU Parliament in Brussels, at the initiative of the KKE, the founding meeting was held of the “INITIATIVE of communist and workers’ parties in order to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity”.

The decision to reinforce of their cooperation, on the basis of a specific founding declaration, which describes the principles of the INITIATIVE, was expressed by the following 29 communist and workers’ parties from EU countries and other European countries as well:

Party of Labour of Austria

Communist Party of the Workers of Belarus

New Communist Party of Britain

Union of Communists in Bulgaria

Party of Bulgarian Communists

Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia

Communist Party in Denmark

Pole of Communist Revival in France

Union of Revolutionary Communists of France

Communist Party of Macedonia

Unified Communist Party of Georgia

Communist Party of Greece

Hungarian Workers' Party

The Workers' Party of Ireland

Communists People’s Left-Communist Party of Italy

Socialist Party of Latvia

Socialist People’s Front of Lithuania

Communist Party of Malta

People’s Resistance Moldova

Communist Party of Norway

Communist Party of Poland

Communist Workers' Party of Russia

Communist Party of Soviet Union

New Communist Party of Yugoslavia

Communist Party of Slovakia

Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain

Communist Party of Sweden

Communist Party, Turkey

Union of Communists of Ukraine

A step for Unity

In his introductory intervention, G. Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE, noted the following: “We would like to sincerely thank the 29 Communist and Workers’ Parties that decided to take part in the INITIATIVE to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their struggle.

We would like to thank the comrades that contributed in a creative way by supporting this effort, with their proposals and their remarks in order for us to reach to this point and organize our first founding meeting.

It is a significant step which serves particular needs.

Our INITIATIVE serves the unity of the communist movement in Europe and the strengthening of the struggle of the communist parties for the interests of the working class, the popular strata, the youth.

We are deeply aware of our responsibility. The problems are sharpening, the capitalist crisis of overproduction and capital over-accumulation which is the other side of capitalist development has led millions of working class and popular families to unemployment and poverty, the labour’s exploitation by capital is being intensified, the future of the youth is being undermined.

Our INITIATIVE serves the need for the concentration of forces and the planned activity against the EU, the union of capital.

We have experience, the people experience the painful consequences of the Treaty of Maastricht, of the Lisbon Treaty, the strategy “Europe2020”the harsh measures of the “Reinforced Economic Governance”. They face the imperialist aggressiveness which is spearheaded by “the common Foreign Security and Defence Policy”, and its common activity with the USA and NATO.

Our INITIATIVE serves the joint struggle for the elections for the European Parliament and other forthcoming political battles.

We will wage the battle of the EU parliamentary elections in a determined way with as our criteria the people’s needs, the people’s interests against the European Union and its strategy. Against the bourgeois, liberal and social democratic parties which serve the interests of capital, against the forces of opportunism which support the EU and follow the line of capitalism’s management.

This is not something easy, it will be strenuous, we will face difficulties but we can fight against them. We will act collectively and in a planned way for our common goals.

We will support this effort with the contribution of all parties, with responsibility and persistence, an effort which will lend impetus to the struggle of the communist movement in Europe and will have a positive impact on the international communist movement.

We have made a good start, aware of our obligations and tasks. We start with 29 communist parties and in the course we will make efforts so that other parties that agree with the founding declaration and today are hesitating to join us will participate in the Initiative. The door is open, the discussion is continuing.

Dear comrades,

Our agreement on the founding declaration has a great significance because it allows us to begin with a solid basis and so that we can develop this communist initiative. The leading forces of the ELP have made their own choices, they support the EU and its basic strategic positions.

They support a union of capital which is continuingly becoming more reactionary and dangerous, they have renounced the principles of our worldview, the principles of Marxism-Leninism. The responsibility is theirs, we believe that the communists will draw valuable conclusions and will support our INITIATIVE.

The plan of activity in the following period

Dear comrades,

Today we can set the basis for the plan of the activity of the next period, enriching our goals of struggle and our interventions.

In this direction we propose that we proceed as follows:

To prepare an intervention regarding the EU Summit Meeting in December which will examine important issues at the expense of the peoples including the revision of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy.

To immediately prepare an intervention for the release of the 4 Cuban militants who are imprisoned in the USA and to take a position against the EU common position.

To prepare in good time a statement on the EU parliamentary elections to be issued in January, following up in April with a short appeal.

To prepare an intervention against anticommunism, against the banning of Communist Parties and their symbols and to issue it in February 2014.

In February 2014 to take a position on the role of the EU parties, including the ELP.

To prepare a special position on the capitalist restructurings promoted by the EU for March 2014 and to highlight the consequences at the expense of the workers and particularly the youth.

By the beginning of April to prepare a position on the EU Common Foreign Security and Defence Policy of the EU and the participation in imperialist wars.

The abovementioned will take place through consultation with the Secretariat of the INITIATIVE and there will be a specific allocation of tasks regarding the issues of the plan of the activity which will be agreed on today.

Dear comrades,

Let us also look at two issues:

First: submitting questions to the EU Parliament on the problems of the workers in various European countries utilizing the communist MEPs.

Second: the organization of joint meetings in various countries utilizing cadres from the CPs that participate in the Initiative in order to exchange experience and support the activities of our parties.

Dear comrades,

We start together a very important effort and we are obliged to devote our forces in order for the INITIATIVE to succeed, for the interests of the working class, the popular strata, the youth.

We wish you all strength and every success.”

The founding declaration of the INITIATIVE is as follows:

“Founding Declaration of the INITIATIVE of Communist and Workers’ Parties to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity.

The following communist and workers' parties of the EU member states, associated related states, and other European countries, declare:

We support the principles of scientific socialism and are united by the vision of a society without the exploitation of man by man, without poverty, social injustice and imperialist wars.

We consider that the EU is capital's choice. It promotes measures in favour of the monopolies, the concentration and centralization of capital; it is strengthening its characteristics as an imperialist economic, political and military bloc opposed to the interests of the working class, the popular strata; it intensifies armaments, authoritarianism, state repression, limiting sovereign rights.

It is our assessment that the European Union is the European imperialist centre, supports the aggressive plans against the peoples, and is aligned with the USA and NATO. It has militarism as a structural element.

We consider that there is another development path for the peoples. The perspective of another Europe, the prosperity of the peoples, social progress, democratic rights, equal cooperation, peace, and socialism are highlighted through the workers' struggles.

We believe in the right of every people to choose its own sovereign path of development, including the right to disengage from the multi-level dependencies on the EU and NATO, as well as the right to choose socialism.

We are not full members of the so-called "European Parties", which are formed by the EU and amongst them the so-called "European Left Party".

We decided through this founding declaration to establish the "INITIATIVE of communist and workers' parties in order to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity".

Every communist and workers' party from an EU member state or associated state, as well as from other European countries that accepts this Declaration and its conditions can participate in this INITIATIVE.

The goal of the INITIATIVE is to contribute to the research and study of issues concerning Europe, particularly concerning the EU, the political line which is drawn up in its framework and has an impact on the lives of the workers, as well as to assist the elaboration of joint positions of the parties and the coordination of their solidarity and their other activities.

The INITIATIVE, which is addressed primarily to the communist and workers' parties of EU countries, keeps the possibility open for a multi-facetted cooperation with communist and workers' parties of countries that are not EU member-states or are associated states.

Every year it shall carry out at least one meeting of its members and agrees on a corresponding Secretariat to coordinate the activity of the INITIATIVE.

The meetings of the Secretariat shall be made known in advance and are also open to the other members of the INITIATIVE.

The INITIATIVE has a joint symbol: a worker who is breaking the chains of capital

It has a website to promote its positions and the positions of the parties that comprise it. The Secretariat will manage this joint website, which will be agreed on by the parties that participate in the INITIATIVE.”

Election of a Secretariat

The parties that participated in the Founding Meeting approved a provisional operating framework of the initiative, the Common Symbol of the Initiative and elected a 9 member Secretariat to coordinate their activity. The following parties participate in the Secretariat: the KKE, the Hungarian Workers’ Party, the Workers’ Party of Ireland, Communists People’s Left-Communist Party of Italy, the Socialist Party of Latvia, the Communist Party of Slovakia, the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain, the Communist Party of Sweden and the Communist Party, Turkey.

About Us

The “INITIATIVE of communist and workers’ parties in order to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity” is a form of cooperation between Communist and Workers' parties from member states of the EU, associated related states and other European countries. It is based on a Founding Declaration, which outlines its principles and objectives. Read more...